To celebrate another year of CreativeMornings Amsterdam, we’re bringing back one of our favorite traditions: Audience Takes the Stage. It’s a chance for our community members—designers, dreamers, rebels, and rule-breakers—to share the spotlight.

The theme? PUNK.

Not just safety pins and mohawks (though we love those too), but the bold spirit behind it. PUNK is about challenging the status quo, speaking your truth, making noise when silence isn’t an option. It’s about DIY ethos, radical honesty, and the messy beauty of doing things your own way.

We’re inviting 3 brave voices from our community to take the stage for 7 minutes each to share a story, idea, performance, or perspective that reflects the spirit of PUNK. You don’t need to be a polished speaker—you just need something real to say.

Got something to share?

Send us the following information to amsterdam@creativemornings.com by Sunday, June 8:

• A few words about yourself, including name and occupation.
• A short video (of less than 2 minutes) about why you think you would make a good speaker and what you would talk about.

If this is not for you, but you know someone in the Amsterdam creative community who might have a great story on the theme of PUNK, please pass it on! 

The event will be held on Friday, June 20. More information coming soon!

CreativeMornings Amsterdam is turning 12! And to celebrate this special occasion, we’re hosting another edition of ‘Audience Takes the Stage’.

We are looking for 3 individuals from our community to each give a 7-minute talk on the theme of ‘PATTERN’. If you have a personal story that explores the beauty of repeating motifs, the significance of patterns in nature, the role of routines in shaping our lives, or you’re passionate about uncovering the hidden patterns in everything – we want to hear from you!

Interested?

Send us the following information to amsterdam@creativemornings.com by Friday, June 7:

• A few words about yourself, including name and occupation.
• A short video (of less than 2 minutes) about why you think you would make a good speaker and what you would talk about.

If this is not for you, but you know someone in the Amsterdam creative community who might have a great story on the theme of ‘PATTERN’, please pass it on! 

The event will be held on Friday, June 28. More information coming soon!

CreativeMornings Amsterdam is turning 11! And to celebrate this special occasion, we’re hosting another edition of ‘Audience Takes the Stage’.

We are looking for 3 individuals from our community to each give a 7-minute talk on the theme of ‘REVERIE’. If you have a personal story that relates to the power of daydreams, the magic of the subconscious, the wonder of the imagination, or you just want to tell us which parallel universe your mind lives in while at work, we want to hear from you!

Interested?

Send us the following information to amsterdam@creativemornings.com by Sunday, June 4:

• A few words about yourself, including name and occupation.
• A short video (of less than 2 minutes) about why you think you would make a good speaker and what you would talk about.

If this is not for you, but you know someone in the Amsterdam creative community who might have a great story on the theme of ‘REVERIE’, please pass it on! 

The event will be held on Friday, June 23. More information coming soon!

Commitment to our Community

At CreativeMornings we’re committed to continuing to grapple with racial inequality. We’ve been fortunate to hear from some amazing speakers at the Amsterdam chapter on the topic of race, community and the need for change. We’ve compiled a collection of the talks that feel particularly pertinent for the present moment:

1. Anousha Nzume, the author of the book ‘Hallo Witte Mensen’ (Hello White People), discusses her career advocating for racial equality in The Netherlands. 2. Awura Abena Simpe talks about the importance of love and belonging as a basis for community and shares the often untold stories of her life. Stories that made her who she is today and helped create a community of her own: Creative Women Collective.3. Kevin Groen’s talk dives into the underlying issues of inclusivity, explaining why we all need to stop assuming expertise and instead acknowledge ignorance, challenge our privileges, nurture curiosity and listen, listen, listen.4. Cené Hale teaches us all how to be more courageous, creating environments that allows us all to be more open.

As a global organization, CreativeMornings is committed to standing with our Black community and Black creatives in the fight against racism and violence, and we urge us all to do the same. You can read more about this here.

In June, CreativeMornings Amsterdam will celebrate its 8th birthday! And in keeping with the tradition, we’ll be hosting another edition of ‘Audience Takes the Stage’.

We are looking for 3 individuals from our community to each give a 7-minute talk on the theme of ‘INSECURE’. These are strange and uncertain times, so this theme couldn’t come at a more important moment. We have all struggled with insecurity at one point or another — insecurity about our abilities and talents, work, relationships, or life in general. But we can all learn from these moments, grow from them, and help others along the way. We’d love to hear your personal take on ‘INSECURE’.

Interested?

Send us the following information to amsterdam@creativemornings.com by Monday, June 1st:

• A few words about yourself, including name and occupation.
• A short video (of less than 2 minutes) about why you think you would make a good speaker and what you would talk about.

If this is not for you, but you know someone in the Amsterdam creative community who might have a great story on the theme of ‘INSECURE’, please pass it on!

The event will be held on Friday, June 26. And unless there are last minute changes, it’ll be a virtual event. More information coming soon!

This June, CreativeMornings Amsterdam will celebrate its seventh birthday! As we do every year, it means it’s time for another edition of ‘Audience Takes The Stage’. 

Wonder what the theme is? That’s right, you guessed it: ‘WONDER’! We would like you to share your sense of wonder. Whether you are an astronomer, a magician, an archaeologist or a taxidermist, or you are all about showcasing someone else’s beautiful and detailed work, we would love for you to share your story with us. We are curious to hear your interpretation of the theme 'WONDER’.

Interested?

Send us the following information to amsterdam@creativemornings.com by Friday, May 31st:

• A few words about yourself, including name and occupation.
  
• A short video (of less than 2 minutes) about why you think you would make a good speaker and what you would talk about.
  

If this is not for you, but you know of someone in the Amsterdam creative community who wonders away day by day, who loves to make other people wonder, or does wonderful things in another way — Pass it on!We’ll be selecting 3 wonderful speakers to each give a 7-minute talk.

The event will be (tentatively) held on Friday, June 28. More information coming soon!  

Meet Rob Alderson

For our April event we have invited journalist Rob Alderson to talk about this month’s global theme ‘Beyond’. But before he takes the stage at OBA, we’ve asked Rob to tell us a bit about himself and what we can expect from his talk on Friday:

What is your creative profession?

I am the Editor-in-Chief and VP Content at WeTransfer. But basically, I’m a journalist. 

What will you be sharing with the CreativeMornings community on Friday 21 April? 

I will be talking about some of the things I have learned interviewing artists and designers and how difficult it can be to write about the creative process. I will also talk about how both WeTransfer and It’s Nice That (where I used to be EIC) look to push themselves beyond (hello!) what they might be known for.

How is Amsterdam and its creative scene special to you?

London has this sprawling creative energy which can either be exhilarating or overwhelming. I like that Amsterdam has all these talented creative minds, but with less mad intensity.  

If stuck in a creative rut, what’s your trick to get free and let loose?

Push on through. When I worked as a newspaper journalist, creative block was not an option because you had to meet the deadline. I prefer to get something – anything – down on paper and take it from there.

Thank you Rob for this interview! We look forward to your talk next week at OBA (Oosterdokskade 143, just minutes away from Central Station). For more information on the event and how to get your (free!) ticket, visit the event page. Tickets go live on Monday, April 17 at 9:00 sharp. Seating is limited, so make sure to register early!

For our November event we have invited freelance director and all-round paper craft master Mandy Smith to talk about this month’s global theme ‘Fantasy’. But before we all get to meet her at TQ, we’ve asked Mandy to answer a few questions about herself and what we can expect from her talk on Friday, November 25th:

What is your creative profession?

I suppose the clearest answer is “I’m an artist” for it covers a lot! However, I work a lot in film and stop motion so I am also an art director and director. I execute most of my work with one material - paper!

What will you be sharing with the CreativeMornings community on Friday 25 November?

I work with a material that everybody knows, or thinks they do, and this is where I like to have some fun. By taking something so ordinary and everyday as your starting point you can surprise people by the structures it forms or the stories you tell with it.

I’ve been lucky enough to constantly keep learning through new collaborations. From submerging a paper sculpture into fluid, to sending a sculpture off into space, paper has lead to some interesting adventures and so I hope to share some tales of what I’ve seen along the way. Things that I didn’t even think were possible!

How is Amsterdam and its creative scene special to you?

Amsterdam is special to me for it was the first place that inspired the creative journey I am on now. When I moved here I was initially working for an advertising agency and I loved how so many people had other interests and passions outside of work, like creating their own artwork, so they inspired me to find my passion. I think as this city has creative people from so many different countries you can always learn a new way of thinking or opinion by talking to people and that’s very inspiring. 

If stuck in a creative rut, what’s your trick to get free and let loose?

I’ve learnt that being busy on something else sparks creativity for future projects. So when I am on a job I use these creative thoughts to try and trigger new ideas for personal projects I can move on to after.

Is fantasy important to you?

Totally. When I first started to build my twisted paper buildings, I watched so many fantasy movies, and pretty much only fantasy movies, to keep inspiring myself that if other people are making a living off creating weird and wonderful things then maybe I can one day do so too. I think, when I left advertising to follow my paper dreams, if I hadn’t kept brainwashing myself with these dream big movies I might not have had the energy to do so.

How would you describe your ideal fantasy world?

I’d say I like fantasy worlds that play around with the world we’re in now and create a version of it where gravity isn’t the same or doesn’t exist like we know it. The most recent example of this being the production design of Dr Strange. I love seeing our world bend and distort to become something unbelievable.

Thank you Mandy for this interview! We look forward to your talk next week at TQ (Singel  542). For more information on the event and how to grab your (free!) ticket, visit the event page. Tickets go live on Monday the 21st at 9am. 

Venue update!

As you may or may not know, CreativeMornings is all about finding new ways to spark creativity. Whether it’s by examining weirdness with Ramin Bahari or through personal development with Petra Benach, helping us find our glitter. 

After these two very inspiring events (and our two biggest so far!) at Zoku, it’s time for this creative caravan to move forward. Luckily, we’ve found a wonderful next destination to set up our camp!

A new curated tech space
For our next set of events, CreativeMornings/AMS will be held at TQ, Amsterdam’s newest kid on the block. Founded by The Next Web, this new curated tech space is located right in the heart of the city centre. 

Inspiring surroundings
TQ aims to provide startups not only with the space to grow, but also with all the inspiration they need to build great products: an incredible location, being surrounded by passionate talent, insightful events to attend and a diverse community to tap into.

CreativeMornings x TQ
We’re overly excited to have CreativeMornings be a part of this platform, hosting our next couple of events at this brand new creative epicenter. If you want to stay in the loop regarding our events, sign up for our newsletter and keep an eye on our social channels!

TQ will officially open its doors tomorrow.

This month we’ve invited self-taught artist and arts consultant Petra Benach to talk about the global theme ‘Magic’. But before she takes the stage at Zoku, we asked Petra to answer a few questions about herself and what we can expect from her talk on Thursday, September 29th:

What is your creative profession?

I am an artist and arts consultant here in Amsterdam.​

What will you be sharing with the CreativeMornings community on Thursday 29 September?

This month’s talk is about Magic, which makes me really excited because I love Unicorns, fairies and Minerva McGonagall.​ I am going to share we can use magic to increase wonder and creativity in our lives.

How is Amsterdam and its creative scene special to you?

I wasn’t until ​I moved to Amsterdam ​that I really committed myself to the arts​. I’ve been able to meet and engage with a lot of artists and professionals here that have been incredibly supportive to my creative process. I consider it to be a very open environment in that way, which makes it very special.

If stuck in a creative rut, what’s your trick to get free and let loose?

When I get stuck I do something completely unstructured and messy. Another great trick I like is singing - singing really seems to help me re-center and move through sticky moments.

And lastly, do you believe in magic?

​Oh absolutely! I think life is all about magic.

Thank you Petra for this interview! We look forward to your talk next week at Zoku (Weesperstraat 105). For more information on the event and how to grab your (free!) ticket, visit the event page. Tickets go live on Monday the 26th at 9am.